On this day in music history…
In 1969, the first day of the Newport ’69 festival took place in Northridge, California. It was considered the follow-up to the Newport Pop Festival, which was held in August 1968. Approximately 200,000 spectators attended Newport ’69. The lineup included Ike & Tina Turner, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eric Burdon & War, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, and others. The festival lasted three days.
In 1969, David Bowie recorded “Space Oddity” at Trident Studios in London. The song would be on Bowie’s self-titled second album, which was released later that year. The single did well in the U.K., peaking at number 5 on the chart. Initially, “Space Oddity” only went to number 124 in the States; when it was reissued in the U.S. four years later, it hit number 15.